A Little Pitchy

What. A. Weekend.  I haven't been able to post at all the past few days because there's been so very much going on and all of it was phenomenal.  Allow me to summarize:

• The wife was hired into a coveted new job with a substantial pay increase, so that's pretty cool. 
• We got our car back from the body shop after having the nose of the brand new 2016 Soul ripped off by an errant teenage driver.  
• To celebrate these previous two developments, we partied hard at a local Dave and Busters, with an enthusiastic group of our closest friends. 
• Fourth, I had the opportunity to attend a card show on Saturday morning with none other than Nick, of Dime Box fame. This was my first ever blogger meet-up. 
• My wonderful wife and I took all of Sunday afternoon to meander and explore the famed Chicago Auto Show, as is our yearly, Valentines tradition.  

As you can plainly see, there was a great deal of merriment.  Plus, there will be more to come on all of that throughout this week, as pretty much every one of those bullet points had some sort of cardboard connection.  But first things first...

On top of all that joyfulness, the whole weekend was riffed off on a high note, courtesy of a padded mailer full of rockin', new baseball cards bestowed upon me by Shane, the punk behind OFF THE WALL.  Now, I know what you're thinking - what's with all of the musical adjectives?  Trust me, there is method behind my madness.

This may be the only time that Joan Jett would ever be described as "a little pitchy," but the punk and hard rock maven appears in the popular "First Pitch" subset in the newly released, Flagship product.  As an added bonus, it's with the coolest team in the league, as well.  Jett hails from the Philly area, so I doubt she's a huge North Side fan, but 75% of that checklist is Cubs-centric, so naturally she's in blue.

This is a card that I knew I had to have when I first saw it and I couldn't have been happier when Shane offered to send a copy my way.  I had the opportunity to see Jett play a show in Chicago Ridge a few years back and she absolutely tore the place up; it was easily one of the best live performances that I've ever taken in.  Here's a brief recording from that very set:

While we all know "I Love Rock n Roll" by heart, Jett was a pioneering trailblazer for women in the world of rock music.  She burst onto the scene in the late 70's as part of the first all-female rock group, the Runaways, showcasing a blend of punk, glam and hard rock influences.  Then, after launching a solo career amidst rejection after rejection, with grit and sheer determination, the bad ass Jett stood out to become a rock icon, on her own label, and proved that women could rock just as hard as the guys, oftentimes even harder!

I mean, the Grammys were last night, right?  Without Jett and the Runaways, I don't know that we'd have performances like Lady Gaga's head-banging, fronting of Metallica.  Although, James Hetfield might have been okay with that.

Anyway, as you can plainly see, this former radio DJ greatly admires Joan Jett and her contributions to popular music.  Thus, a card that connects the frontwoman of the Blackhearts and my favorite baseball club was a definite must-have.  Thanks, Shane!

Of course, the ever-so-generous Red Sox blogger didn't stop there, he also threw in a few other bonus items, including the 2015 Opening Day, Clark the Cub insert that you see above.  I must say, after a couple of years, I've warmed up pretty well to the idea of the Cubs having a pants-less, bear mascot running around the grounds.  Bonus points go to Clark for sporting the throwback, "Cuba"-style jersey from the mid-90's.

Here we have Bleacher Bum favorite, Gary Matthews, sharing space on a Topps sticker with someone on the Seattle Mariners... Ken Phelps?  I'm not entirely sure.  Shane knows that I love a good oddball and this adhesive "Sarge" certainly fits that bill.

This card would have been perfect for that "Friday Feeling" gif that I posted on Friday morning - pure elation!  The de facto captain of the Cubs and his crew are celebrating Rizz's walk-off, line-drive over the Rays on August 10, 2014, just one the light was starting to shine at the end of the rebuilding tunnel.  We also get a good look at the 80's-era throwbacks sported by the club as part of their 100 years of Wrigley Field promotion.

Speaking of which...

Hot damn - here's a commemorative patch relic, which I believe was made in honor of that same, century-mark celebration.  This is the first such hit to enter into my collection and, though it might be manufactured and gimmicky, it sure does look nice!  Plus, anytime I can add a hit featuring one of the key cogs in the World Series championship machine, it's an event worth celebrating.

Again, speaking of which...

Shane does it again -  A Jorge Soler First Home Run Medallion from 2015 Topps (which Jorge swatted in his first MLB at bat, 8/27/14) makes it two relics featuring World Series champion sluggers!  While, like the patch, these manufactured medallions are gimmicky, they look positively regal; plus, who says I don't like gimmicky?  As an added bonus, they are heavy enough to serve as emergency weaponry, should anyone attempt to mug me at a card show.

With that, we've completely emptied the epic bubble mailer.  He sure can pack a punch, huh?

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Shane, after Saturday afternoon's card show with Nick, I have an ample amount of goodies to send back your way, in return for your generous gifting.  I'll make sure to get that package sent out your way, later on this afternoon.  Hopefully, you get as much of a kick out of the contents of this mailing as I did with yours.

Thanks for "Jetting" my weekend off on the right note!